Reddit mentions of Iwata Neo Air miniature air compressor

Regardless of brand avodi single action, external mix airbrushes. I use cheapo brushes like the ones Harbor Freight sells, and a cheap compressor. I find them perfectly servicable if you take care of them and maintain them religiously, but they are not for everyone.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrushing-MAS-Airbrush-Compressor-/dp/B00BF0MW9G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426883332&sr=8-2&keywords=master+airbrush+and+compressor

That is the exact combo I use. You can browse through my submitted history to see what results you can get with that. Any airbrushed item I make uses that combination.

However, if you want to go upmarket, similar things are available.

Iawata Medea's CN brush costs about 60-130 dollars depending on who you buy it from, and a similar compressor to mine, small, portable, and the like is available in the form of the Iawata neo. I would not recommend the battery powered versions. Links below.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/IWA-N4500_2.html?gclid=CNOG2vLit8QCFSgV7AodeC0AZQ
http://www.amazon.com/Iwata-Neo-Air-miniature-compressor/dp/B00DV4PTCQ

Shop around, or wait for one item 40% off discounts from art stores. Airbrushes are expensive and hard to move inventory for companies, so they tend to go on sale.

That Iwata combination is basically what I have, but with better machining tolerances and a hiked price. If you want to buy a "trustworthy" brand that's what I'd get. I, however, am perfectly fine with a cheap as chips airbrush with a cheap compressor, but that's just me.

I would recommend starting with a double action airbrush. That means the trigger adjusts two variables: airflow amount, and paintflow amount. The CN is probably a good model. But I like my airbrush because it costs 15 dollars a unit.